Frightfully Fun Halloween Party Games

Can you believe that Halloween is almost here? I love this season. Mostly because I’m all for any excuse to dress-up. (I’m pretty jealous of the fact that it’s totally cool—adorable even—for my kindergartner to toss on a ball gown to run everyday errands, but if I tried that, I’d get some serious side-eye. Halloween is my jam, people.) And Halloween parties mean even more chances to put that costume to work. But then there’s the stress of figuring out how to entertain all the pirates, princesses, and penguins once they arrive! What to do?! Let me help you plan your one-more-excuse-to-wear-your-costume event by offering up these fun Halloween party games.

Photo credit: Andrew Dawes

Bobbing for Apples: One of my favorite things to do at Halloween is watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Do you remember the bobbing for apples scene in that one? Classic. Halloween costumes have come a long way since 1966—you aren’t likely to see too many kids dressed up in just a white sheet with a couple eye holes cut out of it—but there’s no reason not to indulge in some good old fashioned fun like bobbing for apples.

Photo credit: Sugar Bee Crafts

Mummy Wrapping Race: Divide your guests into teams of at least two (a wrappee and wrapper). Give each team a roll of toilet paper and have them wrap one team member up as a mummy. First team to wrap a mummy wins! Tip: This is not the time to get the cheap toilet paper; buy something nice and thick. If you want to up the difficulty level, tell your guests that if they tear the toilet paper, they have to start over again.

Glow-in-the-Dark Ring Toss: Take advantage of early fall sunsets and play a glow-in-the-dark version of ring toss. This can be a fun DIY project made of wood and glow sticks or a less permanent version in which you drop an activated glow stick in a water bottle or another clear plastic container. Either way, your guests can have some spooky fun tossing their glowing rings in the dark.

Photo credit: ArtMuse67

Roll-A-Monster: This is a fun game that can get as creative and artsy as you want to make it! The simplest version would have guests rolling dice and drawing their monster. Or you could use this printable set to print and cut out a bunch of monster parts. If you’re feeling really crafty, you can even make a 3-D version using clay or Crayola Model Magic, googly eyes, straws, and whatever other fabulous crafty bits you like. Or skip the monster part altogether. Get yourself a foam sticker activity bucket and create your own key for rolling a jack-o-lantern.

Photo credit: Halloweenies

Donut Race: If bobbing for healthy apples isn’t your thing, how about a donut-eating race? Go for an apple cider or pumpkin spice donut for a fall flavor, or powdered sugar donuts for a ghostly mess. If you’re inside or in an area with no tree branches low enough to tie your donuts to, you can run a rope or ribbon across a room or outdoor space and tie your donuts-on-strings to that. The first person to finish wins—but really, everyone’s a winner in this game, because… donuts.

Photo credit: hands on: as we grow

Sticky Spider Web:Create a web using painter’s tape—or colorful masking tape to keep you’re your Halloween theme. Your flies can be as simple as balled-up paper recycling or you can come up with a cuter or spookier design to delight your guests. Toss the flies at the web to see how many flies your spider can catch.

Christina lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, daughter, and two English Springer Spaniels. Before becoming a reluctant stay-at-home mom, she worked in a variety of customer-service-oriented jobs while dreaming of living in the lap of luxury as a housewife. Unfortunately, having a child threw a wrench in Christina's plan to do nothing but eat bonbons while lounging in the Jacuzzi reading all day. Now, she spends her time looking for fun activities and crafts for her daughter and easy-to-prepare meals for her family, while trying not to land the kid in therapy when she grows up. Christina volunteers at several different places, and her particular passion is for her role as a sexuality educator. She loves to read, and to learn about--and share--new products and resources.